I’m surprised. I’ve been to lots of rodeos and that’s what most of the cowboys looked like - minus the sunset. And they always removed their hat when meeting a woman.The ones who owned some kind of ranch and/or worked at.
Also, I attended rodeos at Fairs, so this is what I expected but found none in our travels through the USA...
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If you had traveled in the mountains of Colorado (where I grew up), Wyoming, and Montana you would have drove by some hay fields, (where ranchers grow the hay, they need to feed their beef cattle and horses). During the 'hay season' when they cut, bailed and stacked the hay you would see many cowboys riding horses working the cattle to keep them out of the way, while the guys were cutting the hay. These cowboys were usually the ranch owner and any teenagers they had plus maybe one or two hired hands. All would be dressed in full western outfits.The ones who owned some kind of ranch and/or worked at.
Also, I attended rodeos at Fairs, so this is what I expected but found none in our travels through the USA...
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Granted the clothing was for protection, but you've to admit that some of them really looked good. Phoar!If you had traveled in the mountains of Colorado (where I grew up), Wyoming, and Montana you would have drove by some hay fields, (where ranchers grow the hay, they need to feed their beef cattle and horses). During the 'hay season' when they cut, bailed and stacked the hay you would see many cowboys riding horses working the cattle to keep them out of the way, while the guys were cutting the hay. These cowboys were usually the ranch owner and any teenagers they had plus maybe one or two hired hands. All would be dressed in full western outfits.
They wore this clothing, not to look good, but because it served many purposes (e.g. hat to keep the sun out of their eyes and off their necks, also would keep rain from getting in their face, cowboy boots made it easy to get in the saddle and protected their feet and ankles. etc., etc. To this day, this still goes on...real Cowboys still do exist...
My niece lives in Jackson Hole.Way different place now....My step grandfather was a real cowboy in Jackson Hole, WY. They are holding my stepfather, one of 6 children. They settled in Mt. Holly, NJ. Note his cowboy hat.
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Once a cowboy (or cowgirl), always a cowboy...! I grew up in town but went to school with a lot of ranch kids. I did not have cowboy boots or hats, most all kids in town did not. Ranch kids wore cowboy hat, snap button shirts, wrangler jeans, and cowboy boots, all the time, as did their rancher dads. Most all of them had chores before school, which required boots and hats...it was a way of life, not a preference on style.My niece lives in Jackson Hole.Way different place now....